Power mower clipping-collecting attachment - blower unit therefor



Feb. 24, 1970 o. D. GIFFORD 3,496,977

POWER MOWER CLIPPING-COLLECTING ATTACHMENT-BLOWER UNIT THEREFOR OriginalFiled Jan. 15, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 &

Osca r D. G iffor'd mvsw'ron H'Hy 3,496,977 -BLOWER Feb. 24, 1970 o. D.GIFFORD POWER MOWER CLIPPING-COLLECTING ATTACHMENT UNIT, THEREFOR 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed Jan. 15, 1965 Oscar T' D. GiffordINVENTOR.

United States Patent 3,496,977 POWER MOWER CLlPPING-COLLECT- INGATTACHMENT-BLOWER UNIT THEREFOR Oscar D. Gifford, 1003 N. Central,Olympia, Wash. 98502 Original application Jan. 15, 1965, Ser. No.425,870, new Patent No. 3,367,092, dated Feb. 6, 1968. Divided and thisapplication Jan. 17, 1968, Ser. No. 723,961 Int. Cl. A01d 35/18, 35/24;B02c 9/04 U.S. Cl. 146107 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Anattachment for a lawn mower comprising a blower with fan blades, eachhaving a concavely arcuate forward surface and a knife blade mountedacross said surface and bent angularly along its length in the leadingdirection so as to sever material being pulled into the blower, saidblower having a conical deflector plate mounted on its hub to direct thesevered material from the intake to the outlet.

This is a division of the patent application of Oscar D. Gifford, Ser.No. 425,870, filed Jan. 15, 1965, now Patent No. 3,367,092, for PowerMower Attachment, which is a continuation-in-part of application Ser.No. 324,977, filed Nov. 20, 1963, now abandoned.

This invention relates to power mower attachments. It pertainsparticularly to an attachment for reel type power lawnmowers and isdescribed and illustrated herein with particular reference to such use.It is to be understood, however, that it is applicable also to mowers ofother types employed for cutting and harvesting various agriculturalproducts.

In the care of lawns, the removal of grass clippings presents adifficult problem. In wet weather the clippings soften, agglomerate andform a wet, sticky mass which later bakes on the lawn. In dry weatherthe clippings dry out, become strawlike, and form a thatch which isimpermeable to rain and irrigation water. In either case, the clippingsbecome nesting places for harmful insects.

One conventional method commonly employed for the removal of grassclippings is the provision of a basket or bag which attaches to thereel-type or rotary-type lawnmower, respectively. The use of such grasscatchers is tedious and cumbersome, however, in that it requiresstopping the mower frequently, removing the catcher, emptying it at someremote location, and then reattaching it to the mower.

Another procedure which has been developed for removing grass clippingsfrom lawns is the application of a vacuum cleaner which picks up thegrass clippings from the lawn and transfers them to a bag. Thisprocedure is not satisfactory since its successful application requiresthat the grass clippings be dry, which obviously is not always the case.If excess moisture is present, the cleaner will not pick up the grassclippings. In addition, the presence of wet, small particles fills upthe pores of the bag so that the apparatus will not function. Stillfurther, it is necessary to empty the bag at a remote location atfrequent intervals.

Still another way of removing grass clippings from lawns is theapplication of the mechanical sweeper. This apparatus transfers theclippings into a container with a set of rotating brooms. Its use is notsatisfactory because of its extremely limited capacity, because of thenecessity of removing clippings from the broom area at frequentintervals, sweeping them back into the receiver, and because of theinability of the apparatus to function on irregular ground.

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Accordingly it is the general object of the present invention to providea power mower attachment, particularly a reel-type lawnmower attachment,which not only assists the mower in cutting the grass smoothly andevenly, but also picks up the clippings directly as they are cut andtransfers them to a high capacity mobile storage unit so that the groundis left completely free of clippings, as well as of leaves, paper, smallsticks and other debris which may have been present on it.

Other objects of the present invention are the provision of a powermower attachment which:

(1) Removes clippings, leaves and other debris efficiently, even whenwet.

(2) Is highly maneuverable into any area which is accessible to themower.

(3) Not only removes the material from the area being mowed, but alsochops it up, if necessary, preventing it from winding about the movingparts of the apparatus, or clogging the apparatus.

(4) Is provided with a storage unit of high capacity which may beunloaded through the agency of the power unit which loads it.

(5) Is easily disassembled and cleaned.

(6) Is safe to operate in that sticks and stones, which normally areejected forcibly from the mower, instead are transferred safely to thecollection unit.

(7) Is adaptable for use with mowers of various classes applied to thecuttings or harvesting of grass or agricultural products of varioustypes.

(8) Will not damage or litter lawns, sidewalks, curbings, or patios,across which it may be operated.

(9) May be controlled easily and accurately during use.

Generally stated, the power mower attachment accomplishing the foregoingand other objects of the invention comprises a blower unit having avacuum intake and blower outlet and a wheeled grass storage trailer,flexibly coupled to each other and to a power mower.

Funnel means are mounted on the mower adjacent its cutting blade tocollect the clippings. A flexible suction conduit interconnects thefunnel and the suction intake of the blower. A flexible blower conduitinterconnects the blower outlet and the trailer. The blower acts togenerate an air stream through the funnel as well as through bothconduits.

In the operation of the apparatus, an air stream sucked through thefunnel holds the grass against the cutting bar of the mower so that itmay be cut cleanly and uniformly. As soon as the grass is cut, theclippings are entrained in the air stream, and transferred through theblower into the trailer. Additionally, debris which may be present onthe lawn is removed with the clippings, leaving a clean, uniformly cutlawn, irrespective of whether the grass is wet or dry.

The trailer is of high capacity and need be emptied infrequently. It isprovided with outwardly opening rear doors and balanced on its wheels insuch a manner that it may be tilted and its contents emptied through thedoors with but little effort.

In the alternative, its front end is provided with a vent opening towhich the suction intake of the blower may be connected. Thus byreversing the blower unit, and connecting its suction intake to thevent, the contents of the trailer may be sucked into the blower unit anddischarged to a stack or any desired receiver.

Considering the foregoing in detail and with particular reference to thedrawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a view in side elevation of the herein described power mowerattachment, comprising a blower unit and a trailer, coupled to areel-type power lawnmower;

FIG. 2 is a view in side elevation of the mower attachmentuncoupled fromthe mower with the-blower unit reversed and connected to the trailer foremptying the same;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view through the front corner of thetrailer of grass-clipping plow means used to assist in discharging grassclippings from the trailer;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view in side elevation of parts of the frame andcutting elements of the mower, illustrating the manner of connecting themower attachment;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary view in side elevation of parts of the rearwheel and axle of the mower, further illustrating the manner ofconnection of the mower attachment;

FIG. 6 is a view in front elevation .of the novel blower unit, part ofthe blower casing being broken away better to show the interiorconstruction;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 6; and

FIG. 8 is a detail, sectional view taken along line 8 -8 of FIG. 7illustrating the manner of mounting knives in the blower unit of FIGS. 6and 7, and the construction of the knives.

As shown in FIG. 1, the mower attachment of my invention is adapted foruse with a power mower such as the reel-type riding mower indicatedgenerally at 10. It comprises a blower unit indicated generally at 12,coupled to the mower, and a clipping-collecting trailer, indicatedgenerally at 14, pivotally coupled to the blower unit.

Mower 10 has a frame sub-assembly including spaced top frame members 16,bottom frame members 18, rear side frame members and a transverse plate22. This sub-assembly supports a rotatably mounted, reel-type cutter 24,a cooperating cutting bar 26 and a roller 28. These elements areconventional and form no part of the invention.

Blower unit 12 is mounted on a wheeled frame 30, equipped with aforwardly extending forked tongue 32. The forward end of the tongue iscoupled flexibly to the rear end of mower 10 by coupling means, theconstruction of which is shown particularly in FIG. 5.

Axle housing 34 of the mower mounts a pair of spaced pads, eachcomprising a short length of horizontally positioned channel iron 36welded to the housing and a length of vertically arranged channel iron38, placed back to back and welded together.

The bifurcation of the leading end of tongue 32 rotatably mounts aswivel bolt 40 which penetrates a hollow spacer 43 and is threaded intothe cross member of a clevis 44. Clevis 44 makes possible verticalpivoting of the coupling by mounting a horizontal pivot pin 46 whichpenetrates a link 48.

Horizontal pivoting of the coupling is made possible by the provision ofa vertically arranged pivot pin 50 carried by a horizontally arrangedclevis 52. Thus complete flexibility of the assembly is afforded, swivelbolt 42 permitting swivelling of the coupling, pivot pin 46 permittingits vertical angular motion, and pivot pin 50 permitting its horizontalpivoting. This arrangement makes it possible for the blower unit to becoupled closely to the mower and to follow it in any devious course itmay take.

The leading end of the coupling is fastened through clevis 52 to asubframe assembly which serves two functions: that of connecting theblower unit to the mower and that of supporting agrass-clipping-receiving unit to be described in detail later. Thesubframe assembly includes a pair of spaced longitudinal side pieces 54,a rearward cross piece 56 and a forward cross piece 58. The lattersupports a pad 60.

Extending upwardly from side pieces 54 are a pair of posts 62 which maycomprise short lengths of pipe. The upper end of each post is receivedin one of channel members 38, previously described, and secured theretoby means of bolt 64, thus removably securing the blower unit to themower.

Blower unit 12 includes a powered cutting fan 66 of special design whichis mounted on wheeled frame 30 and which serves several functions. Firstof all, it generates a powerful air stream by sucking air through asuction intake and discharging it through a blower outlet. Secondly itguides grass clippings through the blower in such a manner that they donot hang up and clog it. Third, it mounts an assembly of speciallydesigned knives which chop and divide the clippings into fine, easilyblown segments. Fourth, it may be assembled and disassembled easily forcleaning and repair.

The construction of the blower is shown in FIGS. 1, 6, 7 and 8.

The blower may be coupled through a direct drive to a motor 68, alsomounted on wheeled frame 30. It is provided with a drive shaft 70 andwith a throttle control which may be reached easily by an operatorriding on power mower 10.

Fan 66 is housed in a special casing so designed that it may be removedcompletely and easily for cleaning and adjustment. To this end thecasing includes a flanged back plate 72 to which is fixed at rightangles an annular side wall segment 74 mounting an exterior, outwardlyangled guide collar 76.

A flanged front plate 78 has a central opening 80 and a side wallsegment 82 which, together with segment 74, forms the side wall of thecasing. A collar 84 is welded to the exterior of front plate 78. Itregisters with opening 80 therethrough and with it forms a suctionintake through which the clippings are introduced into the interior ofthe casing. It will be noted that the suction intake is arranged axiallywith respect to the casing.

The casing also is provided with a second opening and associated collar86. These provide a blower outlet arranged tangentially of the casing.It receives the clippings from the blower and transfers them to trailerunit 14 Front and back plates 72, 78 respectively, are coupled togetherfor easy assembly and disassembly by means of bolts 88 which arereceived in openings provided in the flanges of plates 72, 78. Thecasing thus may be disassembled and assembled rapidly and easily when itis desired to clean or adjust the combination fan and cutting elementwhich it houses.

The latter element, indicated generally at 90, includes a stout backplate 92 having a central opening 94 through which extends a hub- 96.

Hub 96 receives shaft 70 of motor 68, to which it is fastened by meansof a cap 98 and bolt 100, the latter being threaded axially into the endof shaft 70.

A conical deflection plate 102, which deflects the clippings as they areintroduced into the blower unit, is welded to or formed integrally withhub 96.

A plurality of radially extending flat fan blades 104 are welded to backplate 92, normal thereto. The outer edges 106 of the fan blades areconcavely arcuate to minimize grass clipping collection on the blades.

The fan blades also are provided with a plurality of laterally extendinglocating pins 108 having wide, case hardened heads and arranged in acharacteristic pattern as required to locate knife blades 110, one oneach fan blade, across the concavely arcuate outer edge thereof. Oncelocated, the knife blades are secured in position by means of bolts 112.

Knife blades 110 have a design calculated to render them self-cleaningand easily removed for sharpening and replacement. An arcuate endsurface 113 prevents the accumulation of clippings and helps render themselfcleaning. An angular deviation from flat, in the leading direction,evident particularly in FIG. 8, imparts a fan action to the blades. Theangle a of deviation is somewhat variable, but as shown in FIG. 8 may besubstantially 20 where the knife angle 8 is 40.

The axially arranged suction intake 84 of the blower is coupled flexiblyto collecting funnel means positioned to receive the clippings directlyas they are cut, while they are still in the air. The construction ofthe collecting funnel means and its manner of mounting are shownparticularly in FIGS. 1, 4 and 5.

When viewed in plan, collecting funnel 120 is roughly triangular inshape, open at both leading and trailing ends, with the leading endbeing substantially the width of the cutting blades of the mower, andwith the trailing end tapering down to a conduit opening. Additionally,the trailing end may be angled upwardly as shown in FIG. 5.

The leading end of collecting funnel 120 is provided with a pair ofpivot pins 122, one on each side. Each pivot pin pivotally mounts amounting plate 124 spaced from the side wall of funnel 120 by means of around spacer 126. A bolt 128 removably secures each mounting plate 124to side frame member 20 of the mower.

The rearward constricted end of funnel 120 is supported on front crosspiece 58 of the sub-assembly previously described by means of whichtongue 32 is coupled to the mower. Thus the base of the funnel rests onpad 60 and its two sides are confined between support posts 62. Thecollecting funnel accordingly may be rapidly attached to, and removedfrom, the mower simply by inserting its rearward end beneath axlehousing 34 between posts 62 and securing its forward end by boltingmounting plates 124 to frame members 20.

Suction conduit means are provided for interconnecting the rearward endof collecting funnel 120 with axially arranged suction intake '84 of theblower. The conduit means is illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2 and and comprisesa flexible tube 130. The leading end of tube 130 is provided with arectangular collar 132 which telescopes over the rearward end of funnel120.

Extending laterally from each side of collar 132 is an angularly bentflat bracket 134. The outer end of the bracket is apertured and receivesa J-bolt 136 on the end of which is threaded a wingnut 138. The engagingend of the I-bolt engages a loop 140 extending laterally from the sideof funnel 120. A nut 142 prevents the J-bolt from falling off when theconduit is removed from the funnel.

The trailing end of conduit 130 is secured in suitable manner,permanently if desired, to suction intake collar 84 of the blower.

Sealing means are provided for sealing the wide forward end of funnel120 as required to direct the flow of air around the sides of thefunnel, rather than through the broad upper and lower surfaces. Thiscreates an air current of high velocity about the sides and prevents theaccumulation of grass clippings with resultant clogging of the funnel.The sealing means employed are shown in FIG. 4.

The upper forward surface of the funnel mounts a transverse rib 146. Afirst sealing flap 148, which may comprise a length of rubber, plasticor other flexible stock, has its leading end fastened to plate 22 andits trailing end pressed against rib 146. This seals off the opening atthe top of the funnel.

A second transversely arranged sealing flap 150 has its rearward endbolted to the underside of funnel 120 and its forward end supportedagainst the upper surface of cutting bar 26. This seals off the areabeneath the funnel.

As a consequence of this arrangement, the violet air stream generated byfan 90 gathers the clippings as they are cut by the mower, while theystill are in the air, transfers them through funnel 120, through thesuction intake opening 84 of blower 66, through the tangentiallypositioned blower outlet 86 thereof, and thence into a collectingtrailer 14.

As has been indicated previously, trailer 14 comprises a wheeled carthaving a body 154 of substantial capacity. The top of the cart hasscreened vents 156 which permit the escape of air while retaining theclippings in the trailer. The rear end of the body is provided withhinged 6 doors 158 which may be opened outwardly to permit emptying thebody.

The forward end of the trailer is provided with coupling means forcoupling the trailer pivotally to wheel frame 30 of blower unit 12.

In the illustrated form of the invention, the coupling means comprise acentrally located bracket 160 extending forwardly, centrally of thefront of the trailer body. It mounts toggle latch 162.

One end of a longitudinally extending coupling bar 164 is releasablyengaged by latch 162. The other end of the bar carries a pivotalcoupling which may comprise a ball and socket joint 166.

Wheeled frame 30 supports an erect, U-shaped standard 168, the upper endof which mounts one of the elements of joint 166. Joint 166 thus permitspivoting of the blower and trailer units relative to each other whilelatch 162 permits facile coupling and uncoupling of the trailer.

Flexible conduit means also are provided for transferring the grassclippings from the blower unit to the trailer.

To this end, blower outlet 86 of the blower is bolted to a verticalconduit section 170, bent at right angles in the rearward direction. Theupper end of conduit section 170 is coupled to the forward end of alength of flexible tubing 172. The rearward end of tubing 172 isfastened to a collar 174 mounted centrally of a closure plate 176,fastened preferably by snap fasteners 178 across an opening present onthe top of the front end of body 154. Clippings transmitted by blower 66thus pass through conduit 172 and into trailer body 154, where they aredeposited.

Although, as pointed out above, the trailer may be emptied simply byopening doors 158 and tilting the trailer body, means also are providedfor forcibly ejecting the trailer contents using blower unit 12 for thispurpose. The manner in which this object of the invention is achieved isillustrated in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3.

The bottom of the front panel of trailer body 154 is formed with acentrally located aperture 180. A rectangular collar 182 dimensioned forcoupling to the forward end of hose 130 is fastened to the exteriorsurface of the front of trailer body 154, aligned with opening 180.

Blower unit 12 may be reversed as illustrated in FIG. 2 and coupled tocollar 182. The blower then will suck the clippings from trailer body154 and eject them through conduit 172 onto a compost heap or into asuitable receiver.

A difficulty inherent in this operation, however, is caused by blockingof opening by the lightly packed clippings in the trailer body.Accordingly I provide combination closure and plow means which close oh?the opening when the trailer is being filled but which will plow out achannel through the accumulated clippings when the trailer is to beemptied. It then is possible for blower 66 to create a strong current ofair through the plowed-out channel so that the clippings are entrainedand discharged through conduit 172. The means provided for this purposeis shown in FIG. 3.

The lower part of the inner surface of the front panel of trailer body154 is provided with a pair of spaced vertical guideways 184 whichextend partway only to the top of the trailer.

Sliding in these guideways is a combination closure member and plow 186.This comprises a rectangular body, the forward side of which is open; apair of side walls provided with guide flanges dimensioned to slide inslides 184; a flat back wall; an angular top wall, which serves aplowing function and is equipped with handle 188; and an angularly bentbottom wall which seals off opening 180.

When using plow 186 front closure 176 is removed from the trailer body.The operator reache through the opening, grasps handle 188, lifts theplow member upwardly, and removes it from the body. This clears achannel through the grass clippings so that free passage of air isafforded through opening 180 and coupling 182.

Operation In operation, mower 10, blower unit 12 and trailer 14 arecoupled together in the relationship of FIG. 1. Fan 66 of the blowerunit is started, generating a high pressure flow of air through clippingcollecting funnel 120, conduit 130, conduit 172 and into trailer 154.

As the mower works, the clippings are tossed upwardly and backwardly inthe usual manner. They thereupon are entrained at once in the air streamrushing through funnel 120. In this effect seating flaps 148, 150channel the air through the sides of the funnel, augmenting the clippingentrainment and also preventing accumulation of clippings around theedges of the funnel.

The clippings pass through suction intake 84 of blower 66 and aredirected against cutting knive 110 mounted on fan blades 104. The knivesreduce in size any large pieces of material which may be introduced andthe air stream transfers the resultant reduced material out throughtangentially arranged blower outlet 86, conduit 170, flexible conduit172, and thence into trailer body 154. Here the clippings are screenedout by screen 156 and accumulate in the trailer.

After the trailer is filled, it may be detached from the blower andemptied, simply by opening doors 158 and tilting the front of thetrailer upwardly. In the alternative, blower unit 12 may be reversed, asshown in FIG. 2, and the forward end of flexible conduit 130 coupled tocollar 182 at the forward end of the trailer. Front panel 176 of thetrailer body then may be removed and plow 186 lifted upwardly to createa channel through the accumulated clippings in the trailer body.Operation of blower 66 thereupon will create an air stream through thetrailer body, through conduit 130 and out through conduit 172,discharging the clippings from the trailer.

It accordingly will be seen that there is provided an apparatus in whichthe several objects of this invention are achieved and which is welladapted to meet the conditions of practical use.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention herein shown anddescribed is to be taken as a preferred example of the same and thatvarious changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may beresorted to Without departing from the spirit of my invention or thescope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In the combination of a lawn mower, draft means therefor, a grassclipping storage trailer coupled to the mower, and conduit meansinterconnecting the mower and trailer: blower means for transferring theclipping from the mower to the trailer and comprising,

(a) a casing having an axially arranged suction intake,

and a tangentially arranged blower outlet, both communicating with theconduit means,

(b) a rotary motor having a shaft extending into the casing,

(c) a hub mounted on the shaft,

(d) a plate mounted on the hub,

(e) a plurality of fan blades mounted on the plate and extendingradially thereof, and

(f) a conical deflector plate mounted on the hub and extending betweenthe fan blades for guiding clippings from the suction intake to theblower outlet.

2. The blower means of claim 1 wherein each fan blade has a concavelyarcuate forward surface and including a plurality of knife blades andmounting means for mounting the knife blades one across the surface ofeach fan blade.

3. The blower means of claim 2 wherein each knife blade is bentangularly along its length in the leading direction.

4. The blower means of claim 1 wherein the casing has an annularlyflanged back plate and an annularly flanged front plate, a pair ofannular segmental side walls, one extending normally inwardly from theback plate and the other extending normally inwardly from the frontplate in meeting relationship, and coupling means for coupling togetherthe flanges of the front and back plates.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS W. GRAYDON ABERCROMBIE, PrimaryExaminer

